Theatre and Culture from Scotland, starring The List's Theatre Editor, his performance persona and occasional guest stars. Experimental writings, cod-academic critiques and all his opinions, stolen or original.

Monday, 28 March 2016

A poem that is supposed to be research.

Oh sing, goddess, sing, and please tell me howAristotle and Plato had such a terrible rowAbout the status of drama and tragedy's role,And the relation of acting to the political whole.I'll send you, oh Vile to the library's nookAnd seek out the magic of Wiles' short book.He discussed Theatre and Citizenship: His chapter on Athens will reward a trip.I think that I've found it, on page one and forty.Plato explains that theatre's well naughty. Tragedy's blasphemy, Plato's contendingIt upsets the order he spent ages inventing.On page forty two, Wiles gets down to brass tacks.Read the quotation, which Vile unpacks...Plato defines tragedy as essentially the representation of a fine and virtuous life, and pictures himself as a dramaturg who will realise in the political constitution which he has devised a more authentic mimesis of the good life than any itinerant poet could provide.So, tragedy shows the best way to liveBut why go to theatre when Plato will giveA much better pattern in the state he's inventedA poet's poetics are a version demented.When Plato talks tragedy, he's talking of the songCertain types of music are morally wrongTooting on the aulos is banned in The RepublicBecause it offers ecstasy to the general public.But he has a problem with the stories that they tell(the gods having a time of it, giving people hell).If poets want to stay in Plato's ideal cityThey need to stop showing good men being shitty.Wiles isn't always clear on page number forty threeSuggesting Plato did not like cult of celebrity.It's not so much he did not like the old dramatic artBut worried that the crowd were swayed by an actor's slightest fart.But what if we ignore Plato?He doesn't like democracy, he doesn't like the vote.That's because Athens made Socrates scape-goatFor the chaos of the period after Sparta kicked their ass. The basis of his objections are the kind of thing they causeIn democracy and tyranny, alike, theatre breaks the lawsActors can be paid for, and thus the rich can useThe magic of the drama to put across their views.

Absurd opinions, extended reviews, random press releases from The Arts, half baked ideas, unsuccessful experiments with the format of criticism. Brought to you by the host of The Vile Arts Radio Hour and former Theatre Editor of The Skinny, now working with The List